Azerbaijan Railways appoints representative at Xi’an Port, opens container yard

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) and China’s Xi’an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd. (Xi’an Port).

According to ADY, during its delegation’s working visit to China, a representative of Azerbaijan Railways was appointed at Xi’an Port and a container yard was inaugurated.

The Memorandum defines new areas of cooperation in railway transport and transit, as well as the implementation of digital projects.

During the meeting with Ye Niuping, Mayor of Xi'an, and Xi'an Port officials, ADY Chairman Rovshan Rustamov stated that enhancing cooperation between Azerbaijan and China in transit transportation and the development of the Middle Corridor has become a strategic necessity, and that the joint document signed during President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to China in April has made a significant contribution to joint efforts under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Rovshan Rustamov described the signing of the MoU, the appointment of an ADY representative at Xi’an Port, the launch of a container yard with an annual handling capacity of 20,000 TEU, and the provision of access to the Xi’an Port operating system for ADY representatives as a pivotal step toward expanding the Middle Corridor’s capacity and enhancing cooperation to increase freight traffic along the route.

Yuan Xiaojun, General Director of Xi’an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd., expressed his support for the appointment of the ADY representative and the establishment of the container yard. He noted that these steps will strengthen cooperation, enable faster and more efficient cargo organization, and facilitate timely operational coordination.

ADY and Xi’an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd. also approved joint initiatives to expand cooperation in organizing container trains along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, increasing rail and port capacity across the Caspian Sea along the Middle Corridor, improving access to Türkiye and Europe via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, and attracting additional freight flows through a data-driven traffic schedule.